Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Official Google Blog: Spot on

Wow -- Google just acquired JotSpot.  Congrats to Joe Kraus (author of the excerpt below) and his team.   

OK, I can finally blurt it out: JotSpot is now part of Google, and I couldn't be more excited.
Three years ago my friend Graham Spencer and I set out to start a new company. We'd both recently left Excite, which we co-founded, and we had spent a few years starting a nonprofit together. We brainstormed scores of ideas, debated late into the night and ultimately exchanged a mountain of email and documents. We realized we needed a tool to help us organize our thoughts or we'd quickly become overwhelmed. So Graham set up a wiki. I was hooked because it immediately changed the way we worked together. Everything was kept in one place, not locked in email threads or on different computers. We could both make changes to the same document, without having to know HTML (well, without me having to know HTML). After twenty minutes of using a wiki, I was convinced that they were like the Internet in 1993 -- useful, but trapped in the land of the nerds (which both Graham and I proudly inhabit). So we set out to start JotSpot as a way to bring the power of wikis to a much broader audience.

Source: Official Google Blog: Spot on

More on Ray Ozzie's "I will fix it all" quote

I hate it when the press takes things out of context -- that has been an occupational hazard for me for a couple decades now, first as a software product manager and for the last few years as an industry analyst/consultant. I'm always careful to not say things that can be quoted out of context to support positions I don't believe in etc.

In any case, Ray Ozzie's "I will fix it all" quote in the article I referenced earlier this morning is now a good case study in this context.  I had an exchange with someone who was in the room during Ray's presentation, and it's very clear that Ray was joking -- relative to the market's approximately infinite expectations for his role as Microsoft Chief Software Architect etc. 

I expect the frequency of this type of out-of-context stuff with Ray will decrease over time, as more reporters get to know Ray as Ray rather than Ray-as-billg-replacement mode.

Link to Peter O'Kelly's Reality Check: At 30, crypto still lacks usability, experts say - Security - News - ZDNet Asia

Zimbra - Blog - Thoughts on Office 2.0 (Reprise)

Scott Dietzen on "Web 2.0"/"Office 2.0" etc.  Useful list; see the post for details. 

Yes, the "2.0" hype is getting out of hand. However, just as with Web 2.0, the technology evolution we are participating in is sufficent to at least justify the discussion. So while I am still dubious about the Office 2.0 moniker, there is no doubt that the Web authoring, sharing, and collaboration technologies under the Web 2.0 umbrella are allowing us to do many of the things we used to do within proprietary Office 1.0 desktop applications, and to do so from any browser on the net. So before you dismiss Office 2.0 as yet another buzz word du jour, please consider some (modest) over-generalizations:

Source: Zimbra - Blog - Thoughts on Office 2.0 (Reprise)

Xbox.com | Xbox News - November 2006 Update Features List

See the post for a complete list of Xbox 360 and Xbox Live updates 

  • HD 1080p video mode support over VGA and component cables.
  • Xbox 360™ HD DVD Player support.
  • Stream WMV video from a Windows PC running Windows Media Player 11, Zune software, or Windows Media Connect.
  • Play video from storage devices such as USB flash drives, Xbox 360 Memory Units, etc.
  • Source: Xbox.com | Xbox News - November 2006 Update Features List

    Newspaper Circulation Falls Sharply - New York Times

    More on newspaper declines -- no subscription required for this one. 

    The circulation of the nation’s daily newspapers plunged during the latest reporting period in one of the sharpest declines in recent history, according to data released yesterday. The slide continues a decades-long trend and adds to the woes of a mature industry already struggling with layoffs and facing the potential sale of some of its flagships.

    Source: Newspaper Circulation Falls Sharply - New York Times

    Newspaper Circulations Slide More - WSJ.com

    One of many things that took about a decade longer than originally expected but now seems inevitable... 

    Nearly every major U.S. newspaper suffered circulation declines in the past six months, according to the newspaper industry's twice-yearly report from the Audit Bureau of Circulations, the latest confirmation of the difficulties facing the industry as readers flock to the Web and other outlets for news.

    Average daily circulation of the 770 newspapers reporting results to the ABC dropped 2.8% on a year-to-year basis during the six months ended Sept. 30, according to an analysis from the Newspaper Association of America, an industry-trade group.

    Source: Newspaper Circulations Slide More - WSJ.com

    MySpace will block illegal use of music - The Boston Globe

    MySpace forced to acknowledge copyright and commerce realities...

    News Corp.'s MySpace.com yesterday said it had licensed a new technology to stop users from posting unauthorized copyrighted music on the social networking website and oust frequent violators of its policy.

    [...]

    But MySpace, increasingly seen as a site to hear and see music and video, will soon begin selling songs from nearly 3 million unsigned bands. It aims to eventually offer copyright-protected songs from major record companies

    Source: MySpace will block illegal use of music - The Boston Globe

    At 30, crypto still lacks usability, experts say - Security - News - ZDNet Asia

    More Ray Ozzie reality checks 

    The issue, Snow said, is products. "The remaining issue that is big today on the plate is lack of quality in the products," he said, adding that security products are poorly designed and often not in a secure way.

    Other panelists agreed. "I will fix it all," Ozzie said. He said he had built security into Notes and in Groove, a later venture. At Microsoft, he plans to design it into products as well, keeping in mind compliance issues and the realities of enterprise systems, he said.

    "In the early years, we as an industry could blame the system for controlling the pace of innovation because the government was throwing up roadblocks," Ozzie said. "At this moment in time, it's laziness on the part of the industry in terms of not embracing architecture and the importance of human interface in design of secure systems."

    Source: At 30, crypto still lacks usability, experts say - Security - News - ZDNet Asia

    Monday, October 30, 2006

    » Ray Ozzie’s view of the Web Office | Between the Lines | ZDNet.com

    Reality check from Redmond 

    From Ozzie’s response, Microsoft is not in a hurry to deliver a pure Web Office, nor does it have its head in the sand.  “People have been trying to create applications with Web technology since the Web began," Ozzie said. "Just because you can do it, doesn’t mean you should. We are looking at Google Docs & Spreadsheets, and paying attention to Office 2.0 and Zoho. We are also putting those in front of customers and seeing what makes sense.”

    Source: » Ray Ozzie’s view of the Web Office | Between the Lines | ZDNet.com

    FT.com / Companies / IT - IBM executive warns over Oracle open-source impact

    Oracle wants to see successful non-commercial open source about as much as Microsoft does, and BTW Red Hat is more IBM competitor than complementor these days...

    Oracle’s entry into the Linux business – an open-source software system – could have a divisive and damaging effect on the market for this fast-growing product, a senior IBM software executive has warned.

    The comments from Kristof Kloeckner, chief technology officer and head of strategy in IBM’s software division, echo criticisms in recent days from some other open-source supporters, who have claimed that Oracle’s move could undermine one of the software industry’s biggest success stories.

    Source: FT.com / Companies / IT - IBM executive warns over Oracle open-source impact

    » Will Web 2.0 ultimately kill Windows? | All about Microsoft | ZDNet.com

    Excerpt from part two of a two-part interview with Jim Allchin 

    Q: In your view, what’s Google's Achilles Heel?

    Allchin: I think they have several issues that they will face, the first is being able to do integration that's meaningful. They basically have fiefdoms or sort of randomization of IP.

    They've got lots of IP, but could they ever pull it together in a coordinated fashion?

    Source: » Will Web 2.0 ultimately kill Windows? | All about Microsoft | ZDNet.com

    » Is Firefox 2.0 a dud? | Hardware 2.0 | ZDNet.com

     Interesting perspectives -- read the full article

    Is Firefox 2.0 a dud?  Are users better avoiding it and waiting until a future build?  Are too many of the new features buggy and incomplete and is the browser overall more unstable that previous versions?  What about Firefox on Vista? 

    [...]

    So what's my issue with running Firefox on Windows Vista?  It's that it runs in standard user mode and has full access to the system.  Internet Explorer 7 on the other hand runs in protected mode.

    Source: » Is Firefox 2.0 a dud? | Hardware 2.0 | ZDNet.com

    A Dot-Com Survivor’s Long Road - New York Times

    Seven years -- so long that I'd forgotten Clark was involved... 

    When Jim Clark started Shutterfly, the online photo printing service, in December 1999, a 2-megapixel digital camera could set you back $800, investor enthusiasm for e-commerce was soaring and the words “Internet” and “bust” were rarely used in the same sentence.

    Source: A Dot-Com Survivor’s Long Road - New York Times

    YouTube Is Purging Copyrighted Clips - New York Times

     Somehow I suspect this might impact the site's popularity a bit...

    The site late last week began purging copyrighted material from Comedy Central, including clips from YouTube stalwarts like “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart,” “The Colbert Report” and “South Park.”

    Source: YouTube Is Purging Copyrighted Clips - New York Times

    Brightcove to Launch Online Video Marketplace - WSJ.com

    More Brightcove updates (apparently Brightcove gets a PR gold star today...) 

    The Brightcove Network has been in test mode for months and already is being used by media and entertainment companies such as Reuters Group PLC, Viacom Inc.'s MTV Networks, and Dow Jones & Co., publisher of The Wall Street Journal. Until now, only content owners selected by Brightcove could use the network. Now any media company or professional video-content owner will be able to launch a Web video channel at Brightcove. Web sites looking for video can then see what is available at the Brightcove marketplace. The content owner, Brightcove and the Web sites would then share revenue generated from ad sales and sales of the videos.

    Source: Brightcove to Launch Online Video Marketplace - WSJ.com

    Brightcove, others aim for TV on Web - The Boston Globe

    Update on Brightcove (and competitor Maven) 

    These companies are building flexible online networks that can host content, serve up ads, and dish out interactive features. While "viral" video-sharing sites like YouTube focus on individual clips -- many pirated -- these new Internet TV platforms are designed to host full-fledged channels that content creators control.

    One of the best positioned is Brightcove Inc., which today is taking the wraps off an Internet video network that handles most everything for content creators.

    Source: Brightcove, others aim for TV on Web - The Boston Globe

    Sunday, October 29, 2006

    Windows Vista: The Experience

    I took the plunge today -- switched to Vista and Office 2007 for my primary PC (to be precise, I switched to a new PC running Vista and Office 2007 as my primary PC).  No problems so far -- Office, Notes R7, FeedDemon, Windows Live Writer, Groove, and other apps I use on a daily basis are working with no problems, and I'm looking forward to working in Word 2007, PowerPoint 2007, etc.  

    I'm also very impressed with the eval PC I'm using, a Dell XPS M1210 with a couple gig of RAM and a couple more on a USB drive (which Vista exploits for system swap space etc.).  The only bummer so far: I can't use Aero mode with the external monitor I'm using with the M1210 (although Aero works fine when I'm using only the laptop display). 

    I'll post notes here as I gain more experience with Vista and Office 2007.

    Link to Windows Vista: The Experience

    ANN: FeedDemon 2.1 Beta 3a (Build 2.1.0.5)

    FeedDemon (beta 2.1) now directly supports Windows Live Writer, although the user experience isn't optimal, imho -- you select an item in a feed index, right-click/send to/blog this news item/Windows Live Writer.  Unfortunately it doesn't support the model used in browser clients, wherein an arbitrary selection can be used for the post.  

    I've just uploaded FeedDemon 2.1 Beta 3a, which corrects a few problems that people reported in yesterday's beta.  To get it, just stop by the FeedDemon Beta Site.

    I've also updated the FeedDemon 2.1 Quick Reference Sheet to include the new keyboard shortcuts added in Beta 3.

    Source: ANN: FeedDemon 2.1 Beta 3a (Build 2.1.0.5)
    Originally published on Thu, 26 Oct 2006 22:45:29 GMT by Nick Bradbury

    WinInfo Short Takes: On the Road to RTM

    Read the full post for a timely reality check from Paul Thurrott.  I'm still very impressed with Vista on my test machine (a Dell XPS M1210), but I expect to be even more impressed with Vista on 1H 2007 PCs designed to fully exploit the OS.

    This week's announcement about the Windows Vista Express Upgrade program--whereby consumers purchasing new PCs can get coupons for free or reduced-cost versions of Vista early next year--raises a simple question: Should you buy a PC now or wait? I can't stress this strongly enough: You should wait.

    Source: WinInfo Short Takes: On the Road to RTM

    The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs: Forgive the missed days

    I'd love to know who's writing this blog -- it's clearly an industry insider with a great sense of humor. 

    I've been having problems with my friggin MacBook shutting down. Can't tell you how many blog items I've had 90% done and then bam the friggin Mac craps out on me. Anyhoo, we've shipped a fix and supposedly mine is gonna get updated as soon as the guys in tech support can work me in.

    Source: The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs: Forgive the missed days

    In Teens' Web World, MySpace Is So Last Year - washingtonpost.com

    Second such article I've seen in the last few days 

    "I think it's definitely going down -- a lot of my friends have deleted their MySpaces and are more into Facebook now," said Birnbaum, a junior who spends more time on her Facebook profile, where she messages and shares photos with other students in her network.

    Source: In Teens' Web World, MySpace Is So Last Year - washingtonpost.com

    Friday, October 27, 2006

    Using WLW Blog This with Firefox 2.0 « whateverblog.

    In case you're trying to use Windows Live Writer with Firefox 2.0 -- here's a work-around summary. 

    As you may or may not know, along with our last beta of Windows Live Writer we also released a Blog This extension for Firefox. The extension works great with Firefox versions between 1.5 and 2.0 Beta 2 (the latest that was available at the time of our release) but not with the 2.0 Release Candidates and final version that have been released since then–Firefox will give you a message that the extension isn’t compatible.

    Source: Using WLW Blog This with Firefox 2.0 « whateverblog.

    Oracle Announces Next-generation User Interaction Environment: Oracle® WebCenter Suite

    Looks like Oracle Collaboration Suite is perhaps having something of an existential crisis... 

    Oracle today announced Oracle® WebCenter Suite, a new component of Oracle Fusion Middleware. Oracle WebCenter Suite will improve information worker productivity by delivering a unified, context-aware user experience that integrates a full set of enterprise services. It delivers a unified environment that provides user access to business applications, structured and un-structured content, business intelligence, enterprise search, business processes, and communication and collaboration services. Oracle WebCenter Suite will provide the first user interaction environment that breaks down the boundaries between web-based portals, enterprise applications, and Web 2.0 technologies to enable the rapid creation of flexible, context-sensitive work processes. The product will be based on an open, standards-based architecture and will be used by customers to develop their own Web 2.0 centric applications. Oracle WebCenter Suite will also become the default user environment for Oracle Fusion Applications.

    Source: Oracle Announces Next-generation User Interaction Environment: Oracle® WebCenter Suite

    Google Co-op - Custom Search Engine: Search the personal blogs of burton analysts.

     Cool -- Mike Gotta set up a Google Custom Search Engine for ~10 BG-related blogs.

    Link to Google Co-op - Custom Search Engine: Search the personal blogs of burton analysts. 

    Rough Type: Nicholas Carr's Blog: Larry Ellison and the business of social production

    More insightful analysis from Nicholas Carr; read the full post. 

    Are there economic or other barriers that prevent competitors from capitalizing on the investments of the open-source companies?

    We're about to get a lot closer to an answer to that question, thanks to that great clarifying force in the technology business, Larry Ellison.

    I also find it fascinating that Larry Ellison gets credit (in BusinessWeek) for a "ruthless and brilliant act of capitalism" while Microsoft executives, openly speculating about similar issues in the past, got attacked for comparing open source to communism.  In any case: the theory, hype, and reality of enterprise open source are now being tested in new and interesting ways.

    Recommended (albeit somewhat dated) reading in this context: The Difference Between God and Larry Ellison -- it's a book with a dumb title, but it's useful background/early history on Ellison and Oracle.

    Source: Rough Type: Nicholas Carr's Blog: Larry Ellison and the business of social production

    The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs: Die, Red Hat. Die!

    More good humor (and insights)... 

    So I called Larry and I'm like, Dude, WTF with this attack on Red Hat? You look like the big schoolyard bully picking on the little Linux nerd, the kid with the pocket protector full of pens and the calculator on his belt. Here's how Larry explained it:

    (Read the full post)

    Source: The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs: Die, Red Hat. Die!

    Pattern Finder: IE 7 vs. Firefox 2.0: Firefox Wins for Me

    More IE7 versus Firefox 2.0 -- from my Burton Group colleague Guy Creese 

    I've used Firefox since its early days, due to its speed and tabbed UI. But I keep IE around because some sites don't work well -- or even function -- with Firefox. I was amenable to going back to IE because I find it a bit of a pain to switch back and forth.

    But, unfortunately, while IE 7 certainly got into the general ballpark of Firefox, it didn't blow by it. And, at least for me, IE 7 loads incredibly slowly, while Firefox 2.0 got even zippier. So I'll continue to lead a schizophrenic existence

    Source: Pattern Finder: IE 7 vs. Firefox 2.0: Firefox Wins for Me

    Collaborative Thinking: Taking Slidesshare For A Ride

    My Burton Group colleague Mike Gotta explores SlideShare -- starting with a 31-slide presentation on collaboration market dynamics 

    Since I create and deliver a lot of presentations, I find this personally quite interesting. I'll be playing with it on and off and will share findings as I go along...

    Source: Collaborative Thinking: Taking Slidesshare For A Ride

    Technology Review: Firefox 2.0: The Honda Civic of Web Browsers

    A very different perspective on Firefox 2.0, compared with the following post 

    Released late Tuesday, the Mozilla Foundation's latest Net-surfing tool is almost everything Web denizens have come to expect from the popular Internet Explorer alternative. Firefox 2.0 offers a handful of obvious improvements in searching and security and a couple of new features, and it largely keeps doing well what it has done well before.

    This said, it breaks little genuinely new ground.

    Source: Technology Review: Firefox 2.0: The Honda Civic of Web Browsers

    CNET Prizefight: Internet Explorer 7 vs. Firefox 2 - CNET reviews

    Interesting perspectives -- worth a skim 

    Firefox 2 still rules the browser roost for now, despite a much improved version of Internet Explorer. The most obvious new feature for IE 7 (tabs) has been in Firefox forever, and the security additions from Microsoft aren't enough for us to allay concerns over new possible exploits. Lastly, the extensibility of Firefox 2 is its knockout punch, and IE's add-ons cannot compare. The flexibility and customizability of Firefox might be best suited to more advanced Web users, but it has earned its spot at the top of the browsers.

    Source: CNET Prizefight: Internet Explorer 7 vs. Firefox 2 - CNET reviews

    The Seattle Times: Business & Technology: From Hungary to the galaxy, Simonyi's goals always high

    Some people have weird hobbies...  I bet his "'special friend', domestic goddess Martha Stewart", is not thrilled...

    Charles Simonyi considers himself blessed to be able to fly to space.

    Four decades after he fled Soviet-occupied Hungary to help create the U.S. personal-computer industry and key Microsoft products such as Word and Excel, Simonyi is to join two Russian cosmonauts flying a Soyuz TMA10 to the international space station on March 9.

    Source: The Seattle Times: Business & Technology: From Hungary to the galaxy, Simonyi's goals always high

    Microsoft Profit and Revenue Up 11% on Strength of Games and Servers - New York Times

    Relentless... 

    Demand for the company’s software for corporate databases and servers grew strongly, with sales up 17 percent, to $2.5 billion. Sales of Xbox game consoles, software and online game subscriptions jumped 70 percent, to more than $1 billion. Those two businesses accounted for most of Microsoft’s revenue growth in the quarter, the first in the company’s 2007 fiscal year.

    [...]

    The Xbox 360 machines went on sale last year, and six million have been sold worldwide. Software sales are going well, and Microsoft’s online game service, Xbox Live, has more than four million members.

    Source: Microsoft Profit and Revenue Up 11% on Strength of Games and Servers - New York Times

    Thursday, October 26, 2006

    Pattern Finder: Oracle's Content DB - Document Infrastructure

    My Burton Group colleague Guy Creese has an ah-hah moment at Oracle OpenWorld; see the full post for more context

    It's a bit ironic that Microsoft had the vision early, circa 1995 with Cairo and then WinFS, but it's Oracle that has beat them to the punch.

    Source: Pattern Finder: Oracle's Content DB - Document Infrastructure

    Oracle to offer Red Hat Linux support | CNET News.com

    This was a predictable response to Red Hat + JBoss -- a very steep opportunity cost for Red Hat. 

    Becoming an operating-system company is one of a series of bold attempts at growth by the Redwood Shores, Calif.-based software company, which in recent years also has acquired small and large rivals. Many major computing companies have embraced Linux, but until now, all have chosen partnerships with Linux companies rather than direct competition.

    Source: Oracle to offer Red Hat Linux support | CNET News.com

    A New Campaign Tactic: Manipulating Google Data - New York Times

    Post-90s politics... 

    Fifty or so other Republican candidates have also been made targets in a sophisticated “Google bombing” campaign intended to game the search engine’s ranking algorithms. By flooding the Web with references to the candidates and repeatedly cross-linking to specific articles and sites on the Web, it is possible to take advantage of Google’s formula and force those articles to the top of the list of search results.

    Source: A New Campaign Tactic: Manipulating Google Data - New York Times

    Disney Movies on a Tiny Disney Screen - New York Times

    File under "Future collectors' item"

    The Disney Mix Max Personal Media Player is slightly larger than an iPod Nano and can play MP3 or WMA music files. But the hallmark of this player is the 2.2-inch screen, created especially to display TV-quality Disney videos and movies. The movies, including “High School Musical” and “Ella Enchanted,” are available on specially formatted memory chips that sell for $15 and slip into a side port that also accepts standard SD memory cards.

    Source: Disney Movies on a Tiny Disney Screen - New York Times

    The Cellphone Costs $1,275. In Love Yet? - New York Times

    Yeah, I was looking for a phone with a motorized clamshell... 

    The phone is called Serene. It’s a radical departure from any cellphone you’ve ever used before, mostly in a good way. One of the bad ways, alas, is the price. Promise you won’t stop reading when you find out? It’s $1,275.

    For that money, the company promises, you don’t just get a phone. You get “discreet, pleasurable interaction,” a device “to have, to hold, and to communicate with.” (Is this a phone or a personal ad?)

    Source: The Cellphone Costs $1,275. In Love Yet? - New York Times

    Personal Technology -- Advice on Shopping For a Windows PC -- If You Must Buy Now

    Naturally Apple has no similar issues, for reasons explained in the article (this is a link to the no-subscription-required version) 

    It's time for my annual fall computer buyer's guide, and this year my message is a little unusual. If you're thinking of acquiring or giving a new Windows desktop or laptop computer this holiday season, don't do it. I suggest that, if at all possible, you wait around 90 days and get that new Windows machine in February.

    Source: Personal Technology -- Advice on Shopping
    For a Windows PC -- If You Must Buy NowStreet Journal.

    Wednesday, October 25, 2006

    » Microsoft readies new transfer tool for XP-Vista migration | All about Microsoft | ZDNet.com

    Cool... 

    The three components of the solution are Windows Easy Transfer, a new feature in Vista that will scan old XP PCs and gathers up applications, settings, emails, address books and more. The Windows Easy Transfer Companion moves the applications from XP machines to Vista PCs. And the Easy Transfer Cable, which will be developed by various USB cable manufacturers and available at retail locations, will be the physical medium for the transfer.

    Source: » Microsoft readies new transfer tool for XP-Vista migration | All about Microsoft | ZDNet.com

    Amazon balks at Google request

    Another example of Google attempting to make all of the world's information widely available... 

    Amazon.com Inc., the world's largest Internet retailer, challenged a request by Google Inc. to provide documents that may be used in the fight over Google's book-scanning project.

    Amazon.com said Google is improperly trying to get confidential information to help defend a program that would compete with the retailer. Google said it needs the documents to fend off lawsuits challenging its Google Library project and pledges to keep subpoenaed information confidential.

    Source: Amazon balks at Google request

    As Expected, Microsoft Gives the Gift of Vista

    And Office too, apparently, at least for some customers 

    Additionally, consumers who purchase new PCs with a preinstalled version of Microsoft Office 2003 may be eligible to receive upgrades to comparable Office 2007 product versions. These offers are a bit murkier than the Windows Vista upgrades, and will only be "made through participating computer manufacturers in qualifying locations."

    Source: As Expected, Microsoft Gives the Gift of Vista

    Microsoft, Industry Partners Offer Early Holiday Gifts to PC Buyers Around the World

    More details... 

    A number of computer manufacturers worldwide have confirmed plans to participate in the Express Upgrade to Windows Vista program. PCs carrying the Windows Vista Capable logo may be eligible for the program, but upgrade offers will vary among PC makers. The upgrade to Windows Vista may be offered for free or at a discounted price (shipping and handling charges may also apply), and customers should check with PC makers for their specific offers. Consumers can also visit http://www.windowsvista.com/expressupgrade for more information.

    Source: Microsoft, Industry Partners Offer Early Holiday Gifts to PC Buyers Around the World: Microsoft working with PC manufacturers and system builders to provide holiday PC buyers with low-cost upgrades to Windows Vista and the 2007 Microsoft Office release.

    Microsoft to Offer Coupons For Free Vista Upgrades - WSJ.com

    Many vendors now offer free Vista upgrades 

    Microsoft Corp. said it will offer coupons for free or heavily discounted upgrades to its long-delayed Windows Vista operating system to consumers who buy computers this holiday season ahead of the software's release.

    The software giant said the program will defer around $1.5 billion in revenue from its current fiscal second-quarter to its third quarter. Microsoft, which will report quarterly results on Thursday, said it does not expect the deferral to affect its full-year sales outlook.

    Source: Microsoft to Offer Coupons For Free Vista Upgrades - WSJ.com

    Tuesday, October 24, 2006

    » Microsoft earns a mixed report card for its year-old Live initiative | All about Microsoft | ZDNet.com

    Timely Microsoft Live reality check -- read the article for a progress report.

    How has Microsoft fared, in terms of living up to the Live goals it set for itself? I’d give the company an A- for delivery, but a D- for presentation. Microsoft is actually making some real headway in the way it is developing and distributing services, but almost no one knows it, thanks to the abysmal job the company has done in defining Live and updating the various Microsoft constituencies on its progress.

    Source: » Microsoft earns a mixed report card for its year-old Live initiative | All about Microsoft | ZDNet.com

    AceyBongos' Xbox Life: Got Your Xbox Space Yet? Sign Up Here!

    More Live synergy 

    Windows Live Spaces has launched a spanky new site that let's you sign up for an Xbox-themed Windows Live Space lickety-split. Plus, it's amazing because it subtly features my GamerCard - even though my GamerScore has shot up since that screenshot was taken!

    Check out the site at www.wlxboxspacesfasttrack.com. It does all the dirty work for you, like adding your GamerCard and your Last Played games and hooking you up with a nifty Xbox-themed background.

    Source: AceyBongos' Xbox Life: Got Your Xbox Space Yet? Sign Up Here!

    Pattern Finder: Free Multivariate Testing, Courtesy of Google

    My analytical colleague Guy Creese on a new Google offering 

    Google's offering this service for free is a huge step forward. Ten years ago, similar testing of different product package designs would have cost tens of thousands of dollars. A company would have had to create paper mockups, convince appropriate test subjects to take time out of their day and turn up for interviews, and then hire interviewers to ask the right questions and collate the answers.

    The Web has changed all that. Now, webmasters can craft alternative graphic designs quickly, users can click at home (and often not even know they're taking a test), and analysis engines can collate the results in realtime.

    Source: Pattern Finder: Free Multivariate Testing, Courtesy of Google

    Adobe tries again with e-books | CNET News.com

    Flash 9 goes print-centric for e-book scenarios 

    Digital Editions is a 2.5MB free download that works as an add-in to Adobe's Flash Player 9. The software can read PDF pages as well as XHTML-formatted content, which makes it suitable for both longer texts, such as books, and shorter texts, such as magazine articles. Digital publishers can combine text with Flash videos and animations.

    Source: Adobe tries again with e-books | CNET News.com

    Adobe - Adobe Press Room: Adobe Showcases Emerging Technologies and Designer/Developer Workflows at MAX 2006 Conference

    I'm at MAX for the next day and one-half, and look forward to learning more about Apollo etc. 

    At its first MAX developer and customer event since joining forces with Macromedia, Adobe Systems Incorporated (NASDAQ: ADBE) today will demonstrate technologies and future product workflows that make it possible to create and deliver new kinds of high-impact, rich applications and engaging content and experiences. Adobe is previewing the company's next-generation technology, code-named Apollo, for developing rich Internet applications for the desktop, and debuting the public beta of Adobe Digital Editions, new software for interacting with eBooks and digital publications (see separate release).

    Source: Adobe - Adobe Press Room: Adobe Showcases Emerging Technologies and Designer/Developer Workflows at MAX 2006 Conference

    Exclusive: Microsoft Overcomes Final Vista Hurdles, Heads to RTM

    Looks like 11/8 is the Vista RTM target -- read the full post for more details. 

    I've found out that the source of Allchin's concerns was an unexpectedly buggy pre-RTM build of Vista. The previous Friday, Microsoft pushed Vista build 5824 into escrow, hoping that the build could qualify as the final shipping version. But a catastrophic problem with the build destroyed any systems that upgraded from Windows XP, requiring complete reinstallations. After several frantic days of trying to find the bug, Microsoft finally fixed the problem last Friday and reset escrow. On Friday, Microsoft internally released build 5840, which didn't include the bug. Testing over the weekend produced positive feedback.

    Source: Exclusive: Microsoft Overcomes Final Vista Hurdles, Heads to RTM

    I.B.M. Sues Amazon.com Over Patents - New York Times

    Hmmm... 

    Recently, I.B.M. has been a strong supporter of patent reform, intended to make it more difficult to get junk patents, which tend to make sweeping and vague claims but do not represent real technical innovation. And I.B.M. has been critical of some business-method patents as being broad descriptions of ideas, without technical specifics.

    The business-method patents in the lawsuits against Amazon reflected fundamental technical advances, Mr. Kelly, the I.B.M. senior vice president, asserted, adding that I.B.M. researchers began working on them in the 1980’s when the potential for online commerce was just becoming apparent.

    Source: I.B.M. Sues Amazon.com Over Patents - New York Times

    Monday, October 23, 2006

    IBM Sues Amazon Over Patents - WSJ.com

    Interesting to see this sort of action in these days of open source and blatant copyright violation. 

    International Business Machines Inc. said it filed two patent infringement lawsuits against Amazon.com Inc., claiming key aspects of the Internet retailer's Web sites violate patents held by Big Blue.

    IBM, based in Armonk, N.Y., said it is seeking unspecified damages from the Seattle online retailer for infringing on five patents, including technologies that govern how the site handles customer recommendations, advertising and data storage.

    [...]

    Both companies have relied heavily on patents. IBM is the world's leading patent holder, while Amazon famously patented its "one-click" checkout method in 1999. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is re-examining that patent, which has long been criticized as overly broad.

    Tangentially, some market caps at the moment:

    AMZN: $13.6B

    CSCO: $148B

    IBM: $139.8B

    GOOG: $143.8B

    HPQ: $109.5B

    Strange days indeed.

    Source: IBM Sues Amazon Over Patents - WSJ.com

    Collaborating with previous versions of Office and other programs

    Interesting times...

    While the best way to minimize compatibility issues is to standardize your environment on a single file format, many organizations will need to deploy the 2007 Microsoft Office system in a phased rollout, or will need to collaborate with other companies. For this reason, Microsoft Office Excel 2007, Microsoft Office Word 2007, and Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007 contain features to ensure compatibility with previous versions of Office. You can use the Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack to allow backward compatibility, so that previous versions of Office can open and save files in the new file format. In addition, the openness of the new file format makes it more compatible with non-Office programs.

    Link to Collaborating with previous versions of Office and other programs

    FT.com / Technology - Microsoft in digital book deal

    Missed this last week (fell behind in RSS tracking) 

    Microsoft on Tuesday took another step into Google’s terrain by announcing a deal with a digital scanning company to produce digital books.

    Kirtas Technologies, which makes high-speed scanners and the software to edit and organise books, will scan works for Microsoft’s Live Book Search Web-based application. The books will become available early next year.

    Source: FT.com / Technology - Microsoft in digital book deal

    Images: Google's election mashup | CNET News.com

    Pretty cool -- see the article for screen shots 

    Google has created a new Google Earth Election mashup that features information about all the congressional races in the United States. The map has stars for each of the 436 congressional districts, which, when clicked on, display information about the candidates and voting information.

    Source: Images: Google's election mashup | CNET News.com

    The Seattle Times: Business & Technology: Facebook playing hard to get with Yahoo!

    Maybe he's holding out for a Google offer... 

    Negotiations first stumbled when Yahoo!'s falling stock made it harder for the search giant and Facebook to agree on a price Yahoo! could afford, reportedly between $800 million and $1 billion.

    But another obstacle, say people familiar with the situation, has been Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook's 22-year-old founder, chairman and chief executive, who has already rebuffed several suitors and isn't prepared to sell the Palo Alto, Calif.-based company unless some conditions are met, including price and control after a sale.

    Source: The Seattle Times: Business & Technology: Facebook playing hard to get with Yahoo!

    The Internet Black Hole That Is North Korea - New York Times

     Go figure...

     

    At a time when much of the world takes for granted a fat and growing network of digitized human knowledge, art, history, thought and debate, it is easy to forget just how much is being denied the people who live under the veil of darkness revealed in that satellite photograph.

    While other restrictive regimes have sought to find ways to limit the Internet — through filters and blocks and threats — North Korea has chosen to stay wholly off the grid.

    Source: The Internet Black Hole That Is North Korea - New York Times

    Microsoft Eyes Future of Teleconferencing with RoundTable

     Q&A with Gurdeep Singh Pall, corporate vice president of Microsoft’s Unified Communications Group

    Technology developed by Microsoft Research matures into a product that is scheduled to debut by mid-2007, providing businesses an alternative to business trips or expensive conventional audio/video conferencing systems.

    Meanwhile, in today's WSJ (and in today's Boston Globe)

    Cisco Systems Inc. is entering the video-conferencing market with a high-end system that continues the company's push beyond networking equipment.

    Source: Microsoft Eyes Future of Teleconferencing with RoundTable 

    We’re Google. So Sue Us. - New York Times

    Timely reality check 

    Any company that is large and successful is going to attract lawsuits, and Google’s deep pockets make it an especially big target. But as it rushes to create innovative new services, Google sometimes operates in a way that almost seems to invite legal scrutiny.

    Source: We’re Google. So Sue Us. - New York Times

    Sunday, October 22, 2006

    What Comes After YouTube

    More details on the latest from Janus Friis and Niklas Zennström 

    Unlike Kazaa, the Venice Project won't let people illegally trade copyrighted works. Instead, the company is in talks with media and TV companies to create ad-supported channels for full-length, professional content. Individuals can also upload videos. "People love to watch TV," says Friis. "And people love the Internet because of the choice and the social qualities. We're trying to bring the best of both worlds together."

    Source: What Comes After YouTube

    Pogue’s Posts - Technology - New York Times Blog

    Very funny -- check it out

     

    I find Microsoft’s own programmers’ blogs especially interesting. They never say anything controversial and are therefore annoyingly antiseptic. But every now and then, you find a gem. How, for example, did THIS one ever get past the marketing people?

    It’s a mock-serious apology for the features that didn’t make it into Vista, and it’s screamingly funny.

    http://shellrevealed.com/blogs/shellblog/archive/2006/1 0/09/Features-that-didn_2700_t-make-the-cut.aspx

    Source: Pogue’s Posts - Technology - New York Times Blog

    Building a 'Googley' Workforce - washingtonpost.com

    Read the full article for an interesting cultural snapshot. 

    To understand the corporate culture at Google Inc., take a look at the toilets.

    Source: Building a 'Googley' Workforce - washingtonpost.com

    Friday, October 20, 2006

    Zimbra - Blog - IE 7 vs IE 6

    See the post for more details. 

    Microsoft's IE team has clearly been hard at work on improving their browser's memory management and JavaScript performance. IE 7 has made some significant leaps forward based on some initial in house testing here at Zimbra. We are in general observing about a 2x performance improvement with IE 7 vs IE 6 when using the Zimbra Web Client (ZWC).

    Source: Zimbra - Blog - IE 7 vs IE 6

    Apple Blasted for Cheeky iPod Warning

    Apparently Apple's "Blame Microsoft" strategy isn't working this time 

    "It's not a matter of which platform that the virus originated [on]," Poon wrote in his personal blog. "The fact that it's found on the portable player means that there's an issue with how the quality checks, specifically the content check, was done. This also indicates that through the manufacturing cycle, the base device from which the image was duplicated to the other devices in the manufacturing run, was connected to a PC that most probably did not have, and I quote their press release, 'up to date antivirus software which is included with most Windows computers'."

    Source: Apple Blasted for Cheeky iPod Warning

    Google's YouTube deal could help it break into TV ads - Oct. 19, 2006

    So much for "Don't be evil"... 

    When Google spent $1.65 billion for 19-month-old online video phenomenon YouTube, it was portrayed as a sign of the triumph of online video. And in important ways it is. But the voluminous coverage missed something central. Google's interest in the video-sharing site, ironically, also has a lot to do with its belief in the staying power of conventional broadcast television and cable.

    Source: Google's YouTube deal could help it break into TV ads - Oct. 19, 2006

    Surge in Profit Reflects Google's Widening Lead - washingtonpost.com

    Also relentless... 

    Eight-year-old Google Inc. flexed its growing Internet muscles yesterday, reporting a 92 percent surge in third-quarter earnings compared with a year ago and widening its lead in online advertising.

    Google said profit jumped to $733 million for the three-month period ended Sept. 30. Revenue totaled $2.69 billion, up 70 percent. The stock closed up 2 percent at $426.06 yesterday on the Nasdaq stock market.

    Source: Surge in Profit Reflects Google's Widening Lead - washingtonpost.com

    Thursday, October 19, 2006

    The Perfect Thing: How the iPod Shuffles Commerce, Culture and Coolness - Steven Levy - book - review - New York Times

    Okay, maybe not an "insanely great" book, but I'll read it anyway... 

    “The Perfect Thing” raises one big question: is it possible to spin a whole book out of such literally lightweight subject matter? Answer: yes, if you don’t mind repetition and don’t expect to learn anything new. “The Perfect Thing” is more entertaining than informative, but it makes a very satisfactory mash note. Gushing aside (“this is its universally celebrated, endlessly pleasing, devilishly functional, drop-dead gorgeous design”), it does a handy job of crystallizing and commemorating the dawn of the iPod age.

    Source: The Perfect Thing: How the iPod Shuffles Commerce, Culture and Coolness - Steven Levy - book - review - New York Times

    Microsoft Looks Within to Design and Test Chips - New York Times

    The spirit of Xerox PARC lives on -- within Microsoft.  Read Dealers of Lightning for a classic overview of related industry history.

    For more than two decades, Microsoft’s software and Intel’s processors were so wedded that the pairing came to be known as Wintel. But as that computing era wanes, Microsoft is turning to a new source of chip design: its own labs.

    [...]

    One reason for the effort is that Microsoft needs to begin thinking about the next-generation design of its Xbox game console, said Charles P. Thacker, a veteran engineer and Microsoft engineer who will head the Silicon Valley group.

    Source: Microsoft Looks Within to Design and Test Chips - New York Times

    Apple Profit Rises 27%; Stock Jumps - New York Times

    Impressive by any measure.  It'll be interesting to see how things trend for Apple after Vista PCs go mainstream. 

    Apple’s chief executive, Steven P. Jobs, said: “This strong quarter caps an extraordinary year for Apple. Selling more than 39 million iPods and 5.3 million Macs while performing an incredibly complex architecture transition is something we are all very proud of.”

    An analyst at Piper Jaffray, Eugene A. Munster, seemed to agree. “It’s an impressive quarter,” he said. “They blew away even the highest expectations on the Mac side.”

    Mr. Munster said the strong sales of Macs proved the validity of the iPod’s “halo effect,” meaning that iPod customers are increasingly first-time Macintosh customers.

    Source: Apple Profit Rises 27%; Stock Jumps - New York Times

    Ten Reasons Vista Will Be Good for Business

    Timely snapshot.  I've had an opportunity to explore the latest Vista RC2 and Office 2007 bits lately, however, side-by-side with a comparable new laptop running XP SP2 and Office 2003, and I disagree with the customer interest assertion below; I don't think anyone who has used Vista and Office 2007 will happily revert to XP/2003.

    Opinion: Most customers won't have an interest in Vista immediately, but when they are ready, the benefits for solution providers are compelling.
    With the release of the business version of Vista about a month away, now seems like a good time to visit the Top 10 reasons solution providers should be excited about Vista.

    Source: Ten Reasons Vista Will Be Good for Business

    Google-YouTube deal is a new low for the Net | InfoWorld | Column | 2006-10-17 | By Ephraim Schwartz

    New for the post-90s: "reality web"... 

    YouTube gets something like 100 million page views per day. Does it matter that 99 percent of them are a waste of time? That these homemade videos have no redeeming quality? Not in the slightest. To whom should it matter?

    Google and its competitors are fighting for market share because, now, market share in and of itself means success. From now on, “the next big thing” will not mean great technology; it will mean whichever online entity can come up with the most “viewers.”

    Source: Google-YouTube deal is a new low for the Net | InfoWorld | Column | 2006-10-17 | By Ephraim Schwartz

    Wednesday, October 18, 2006

    CRN | IPTV | Microsoft To Deliver TV Over Internet Within Year

    Relentless... 

    Microsoft Corp.'s decade-long push into television is notable for false starts, bold promises and failed investments, but the company hopes to finally move into the living room this year with a service delivered over high-speed Internet networks.

    The success or failure of Microsoft's Internet Protocol TV (IPTV) initiative could determine the fortunes of a number of telephone companies betting billions that the company can help them encroach on cable television operators' home turf.

    Source: CRN | IPTV | Microsoft To Deliver TV Over Internet Within Year

    Ballmer: Microsoft To Hike R&D Spending To $7.5B In 2007 - Steve Ballmer, Software - CRN

    Yow 

    Microsoft Corp will spend around $7.5 billion on research and development in fiscal year 2007, $1.3 billion more than previously committed, Chief Executive Steve Ballmer said on Tuesday.

    Source: Ballmer: Microsoft To Hike R&D Spending To $7.5B In 2007 - Steve Ballmer, Software - CRN

    Tuesday, October 17, 2006

    Steven Pinker misreads my book

    The fascinating and multifaceted debate between Lakoff and Pinker continues in The New Republic

    For a quarter of a century, Steven Pinker and I have been on opposite sides of major intellectual and scientific divide concerning the nature of language and the mind. Until this review, the divide was confined to the academic world. But, recently, the issue of the nature of mind and language has come into politics in a big way. We can no longer conduct twenty-first-century politics with a seventeenth-century understanding of the mind. The political issues in this country and the world are just too important.

    Source: Steven Pinker misreads my book

    Google Campus to Get Solar Power As Alternative Fuels Gain Interest - WSJ.com

    No doubt they'll also upgrade the 767 to a more fuel-efficient 787 

    The search company says the system, which is expected to be operational in early 2007, will supply about 30% of the peak energy needs of six buildings in and around its Mountain View, Calif., headquarters. The system is being installed at an undisclosed price by Energy Innovations Inc. of Pasadena, Calif., which says such solar installations typically pay for themselves in power-cost savings in five to 10 years and last about 25 years.

    Source: Google Campus to Get Solar Power As Alternative Fuels Gain Interest - WSJ.com

    Microsoft Tries to Raise 'Candiosity,' Aims at Kid Market with 'Viva Piñata' - WSJ.com

     Sign of the times... 

    Fox Television last month began airing a new Saturday morning cartoon called "Viva Piñata," about a world where colorful piñatas compete to be chosen for children's birthday parties. But the real force behind the TV show -- and an onslaught of affiliated ventures -- is Microsoft Corp., which hopes the piñatas can help it crack open the secret to selling more Xbox 360 game consoles to young children.

    [...]

    It's all a sharp contrast to past Xbox efforts, which have often been dark and violent. After years of focusing primarily on young adult males ranging from teens to thirtysomethings, Microsoft wants to broaden Xbox's market by going after kids, women and even people over 40. It's a risky move because it could alienate Xbox 360's core audience.

    Source: Microsoft Tries to Raise 'Candiosity,' Aims at Kid Market with 'Viva Piñata' - WSJ.com

    Wallflower at the Web Party - New York Times

     This won't be the only candidate for the official Bubble v2 PointCast Syndrome Award.

    Go for it, he did. Mr. Abrams spurned Google’s advances and charted his own course. In retrospect, he should have taken the $30 million. If Google had paid him in stock, Mr. Abrams would easily be worth $1 billion today, according to one person close to Google. And with Google’s ample resources, Friendster might have solidified its position as the pioneering front-runner in social networking. Instead, Mr. Abrams has the distinction of founding a company that is shorthand for potential unmet.

    Source: Wallflower at the Web Party - New York Times

    Toy or Tool? Google Docs & Spreadsheets Reviewed

    See the article for a timely reality check. 

    Looking for a free word processor and spreadsheet? Google's newly released Docs & Spreadsheets suite that offers just that, but in this case you get what you pay for. While the number-crunching power of Spreadsheets is adequate for simple workbooks, the Docs program (formerly Writely, acquired by Google earlier this year) is so underpowered we wouldn't recommend it for even casual use.

    Source: Toy or Tool? Google Docs & Spreadsheets Reviewed

    It Pays to Have Pals in Silicon Valley - New York Times

    Small world...

    Since 2002, when dozens of employees left PayPal after it was bought by eBay for $1.5 billion, those workers have gone on to start or join a new generation of Internet companies and other ventures. They have remained a tight-knit group, attending each other’s parties, helping to shape each other’s business plans, backing each other’s companies and recruiting each other for new projects.

    PayPal's Offshoots

    Click here to view the offshoot diagram.

    Source: It Pays to Have Pals in Silicon Valley - New York Times

    Monday, October 16, 2006

    Steven Levy Excerpt: The Power of iPod - Newsweek Books - MSNBC.com

    Excerpt from Levy's new book; also see a related Q&A with Steve Jobs 

    The iPod arrived in October 2001, bringing the promise of pleasure to a world in transformation from its comforting analog roots to a disruptive digital future. But no one expected that the iPod would become the signature artifact of our young century, selling more than 60 million units in its first five years. No one envisioned vast swaths of humanity escaping reality via the White Earbud Express. And no one would ever have believed that a 2005 survey would report that the iPod is more popular on college campuses ... than beer. But that's what happened. In his new book, "The Perfect Thing," NEWSWEEK Senior Editor Steven Levy contemplates the ways that the iPod changed the world.

    Source: Steven Levy Excerpt: The Power of iPod - Newsweek Books - MSNBC.com

    Media Titans Pressure YouTube Over Copyrights - WSJ.com

    Hmm... 

    YouTube contends that it hasn't run afoul of copyright laws, because it immediately removes clips when rights holders complain about their inclusion on the site.

    But lawyers for the group of media companies, which includes News Corp., General Electric Co.'s NBC Universal and Viacom Inc., have concluded that YouTube could be liable to copyright penalties of $150,000 per unauthorized video, people familiar the matter say. Viacom believes that pirated versions of video clips from its cable channels -- including MTV, Comedy Central and Nickelodeon -- are watched 80,000 times a day via YouTube. At that rate, potential penalties could run into the billions of dollars.

    Source: Media Titans Pressure YouTube Over Copyrights - WSJ.com

    Technology Review: Computerized Voter Registration Databases Need a Major Overhaul

    Read the details and ponder the implications... 

    What Americans should be most worried about this November, say elections experts like Thad Hall, a political scientist at the University of Utah, is not that someone might hack the Diebold machine they're using to vote--but that their names might disappear from the rolls entirely. According to him, the greatest risks of fraud or disenfranchisement concern voter registration.

    Source: Technology Review: Computerized Voter Registration Databases Need a Major Overhaul

    Sunday, October 15, 2006

    Microsoft Now Decides to Accept Outside Security for Vista - washingtonpost.com

    I look forward to seeing the details on this one. 

    Microsoft Corp. did an about-face yesterday, agreeing to make it easier for customers of its forthcoming Vista operating system to use outside security vendors, such as those who make popular antivirus and anti-spyware programs.

    Until now, Microsoft had planned to block those companies from installing their products in the deepest levels of the new operating system, which is scheduled for release early next year.

    (Back on-line after a week in Europe -- my normal post routine will resume tomorrow)

    Source: Microsoft Now Decides to Accept Outside Security for Vista - washingtonpost.com

    Tuesday, October 10, 2006

    Dot-Com Boom Echoed in Deal to Buy YouTube - New York Times

    Read the article for a balanced snapshot 

    A profitless Web site started by three 20-somethings after a late-night dinner party is sold for more than a billion dollars, instantly turning dozens of its employees into paper millionaires. It sounds like a tale from the late 1990’s dot-com bubble, but it happened yesterday.

    Source: Dot-Com Boom Echoed in Deal to Buy YouTube - New York Times

    Google Looks To Boost Ads With YouTube - WSJ.com

     Hmmm

    Some analysts raised questions about YouTube's price tag. Critics said Google could be exposing itself to liability for copyright violations, since videos posted by users without permission of content owners are available through YouTube's site. The start-up already faces one lawsuit related to this issue. YouTube has been racing to sign deals with media and entertainment companies to license their content and head off any additional litigation, generally agreeing to share online ad revenue with the content owners. "The YouTube commitment to enforcing copyrights is very consistent with Google's," said David Drummond, Google's senior vice president of corporate development. Mr. Drummond said the two companies remove any infringing content when notified by a copyright holder.

    Source: Google Looks To Boost Ads With YouTube - WSJ.com

    WiMax may give broadband a lead over cellular service - The Boston Globe

    Timely snapshot 

    Forget about searching for wireless Internet hot spots. Communications specialists meeting in Boston this week plan to deploy a new technology that will make wireless broadband access more common than cellphone service.

    Source: WiMax may give broadband a lead over cellular service - The Boston Globe

    MercuryNews.com | 10/09/2006 | It's for real: Google buying YouTube for $1.65 billion

    Time will tell if this was a "moronic' move... 

    Mountain View Internet giant Google will buy YouTube for $1.65 billion in Google stock.

    Making the deal official, the two companies announced the purchase -- which had been widely expected since late last week -- this afternoon just after the stock market closed. In an effort to benefit from its well-known brand and legions of users, YouTube will continue to operate as an independent site.

    Meanwhile, from this update:

    Microsoft, whose MSN Video ranks fourth in the online video market, last month launched Soapbox, a competing video-sharing service.

    ``We evaluated acquiring this type of technology several months ago,'' the company said in a statement today. ``We...believe building our own solution is a more cost-effective way to compete in this new space.''

    Source: MercuryNews.com | 10/09/2006 | It's for real: Google buying YouTube for $1.65 billion

    Monday, October 09, 2006

    Google Nears Deal With YouTube - WSJ.com

    I think both companies could use some training from Steve Jobs on the privacy/security front; unless there has been a series of deliberate leaks, it's very sloppy for this level of info to be hitting the WSJ before the deal is finalized. 

    Google Inc. is closing in on an acquisition of online video site YouTube Inc. for $1.65 billion in stock that could be announced as early as today, says a person familiar with the matter.

    If the final deal is approved by both companies' directors today, they plan to announce it after the end of the regular trading sessions of the U.S. stock exchanges, the familiar person says. In the meantime, any deal could still fall apart or the terms and timing could change. Under the arrangement discussed, closely-held YouTube would at least initially retain a significant measure of independence, keeping its brand and offices. 

    Source: Google Nears Deal With YouTube - WSJ.com

    IBM developerWorks : Blogs : Lotus Software and Collaborative Applications

    More name changes in the IBM Lotus product line -- this one is much more descriptive and useful, for the product that used to be called Workplace Designer 

    I am happy to report that Lotus Component Designer 6 is ready for your beta testing. This is the product formally known as Workplace Designer - it didn't make sense any more to call it Workplace Designer, even though I liked that name, because now it supports deployment to WebSphere Portal and eventually will include support for Lotus Expeditor and the Hannover/Notes client.

    Source: IBM developerWorks : Blogs : Lotus Software and Collaborative Applications

    Google Watch : Five Reasons Google Will Acquire YouTube (and 5 Reasons Google Won't)

    No drawings, but entertaining speculation about why Google will/won't acquire YouTube. 

    One day after YouTube's Chad Hurley attended the secret Google Think Tank meeting in Mountain View, rumors are swirling that the search giant is acquiring YouTube for $1.6 billion.
    The rumor (also "reported" in the WSJ and now apparently on CNBC) is based on an e-mail Mike Arrington received last night, and there's no more information. I could actually fill the rest of this post with crayon drawings of puppy dogs in funny hats and it would be more substantial than any conjecture.

    Source: Google Watch : Five Reasons Google Will Acquire YouTube (and 5 Reasons Google Won't)

    Windows Vista RC2: Near final OS more refined, but it's not perfect (Computerworld)

    Read the article for more details. 

    Last Friday, Microsoft pushed Windows Vista Release Candidate 2 (RC2), build 5744, out the door. There's no laundry list of new features and functions associated with this build of Vista, but there is something significant about it.

    You can sum it up in one word: refinement.

    The areas of installation, performance and bugginess associated with Media Center and the new Sleep power management mode have all been improved. Vista continues to be exceptionally stable. There's no question that this new Windows is more reliable than XP.

    Source: Windows Vista RC2: Near final OS more refined, but it's not perfect

    BBC NEWS | Technology | Net crime 'big fear' for Britons

     Interesting reality check -- see the article for more details.

    More Britons fear net crime than they do burglary, a survey suggests.

    The Get Safe Online study released by the government found 21% of respondents felt most at risk from net crime, while 16% worried most about being burgled.

    p.s. I'm at Burton Group's European customer conference all week, so posting may be light and will be off-schedule...

    Source: BBC NEWS | Technology | Net crime 'big fear' for Britons

    Saturday, October 07, 2006

    Scott Rosenberg's Wordyard » Blog Archive » Fallows on Dreaming in Code

    James Fallows, quoted from The Atlantic (which annoyingly hasn't openly published his latest article for non-subscribers; see "Making Haystacks, Finding Needles" -- "New programs let you easily categorize anything you come across on the Web or in your own files—and, more important, let you find it all again" if you have an account), on a new book about Chandler's development.

    The book is the first true successor to Tracy Kidder's Soul of a New Machine, and is written with a combination of technical sophistication and narrative skill not seen in many years. Read it to understand what all these software wizards actually do.

    Duly pre-ordered (expected in January)...

    Source: Scott Rosenberg's Wordyard » Blog Archive » Fallows on Dreaming in Code

    Thank You, YouTube

    Timely YouTube analysis in The Atlantic 

    You don’t have to be a futurehead to see that the sitcom era, and traditional television with it, is today being bookended. Video is now startlingly easy to produce, edit, and distribute. If you’ve watched the Web-based video-sharing site YouTube grow over the past six to eight months from Web backwater to the world’s largest video outlet, you’ve seen Americans embrace the idea of becoming television producers and even building their own mini-networks.

    Source: Thank You, YouTube

    Liberal linguist George Lakoff hurts the Democratic Party

    Harsh reality check from Steven Pinker -- excerpt:

    There is no shortage of things to criticize in the current administration. Corrupt, mendacious, incompetent, autocratic, reckless, hostile to science, and pathologically shortsighted, the Bush government has disenchanted even many conservatives. But it is not clear what is to be gained by analyzing these vices as the desired outcome of some coherent political philosophy, especially if it entails the implausible buffoon sketched by Lakoff. Nor does it seem profitable for the Democrats to brand themselves as the party that loves lawyers, taxes, and government regulation on principle, and that does not believe in free markets or individual discipline. Lakoff's faith in the power of euphemism to make these positions palatable to American voters is not justified by current cognitive science or brain science. I would not advise any politician to abandon traditional reason and logic for Lakoff's "higher rationality."   

    Link to Liberal linguist George Lakoff hurts the Democratic Party

    Airbus: First, Blame the Software

    Amazing... 

    It sounds too simple to be true. Airbus' A380 megajet is now a full two years behind schedule—and the reason, CEO Christian Streiff admitted on Oct. 3, is that design software used at different Airbus factories wasn't compatible.

    Source: Airbus: First, Blame the Software

    Security Curve Weblog: Thoughts about McAfee's advertising blitz

    Timely reality check from Security Curve; read the full post. BTW PatchGuard (kernel patch protection) has been in 64-bit Windows for the last ~2 years.

    So, when I first read the press coverage of this, it sure sounded to me like Microsoft was being anti-competitive; but then I decided to educate myself on the various features that are under discussion - now I have a different opinion. Now I think that McAfee and Symantec are grandstanding. Why's that, you ask? Well, here's my take on this stuff:

    Source: Security Curve Weblog: Thoughts about McAfee's advertising blitz

    Friday, October 06, 2006

    Dot-Com Bubble, Part II? Why It's So Hard to Value Social Networking Sites - Knowledge@Wharton

    Timely analysis 

    While the social networking sites vary considerably, each relies heavily on content provided by users who can post personal profiles and build networks among friends and others with shared interests. For the most part, these users have free access and the sites are funded with advertising revenue. To lure advertisers, young sites typically offer deep discounts that make profitability elusive, and it is unclear when they will be able to push ad rates higher, if ever.

    I encourage anyone who thinks these valuations have a correlation with reality to read Galbraith's classic A Short History of Financial Euphoria.

    Source: Dot-Com Bubble, Part II? Why It's So Hard to Value Social Networking Sites - Knowledge@Wharton

    Inside Digital Media: Mike Gotta on the Web Conferencing market

    October 6, 2006: A Burton Group Analyst provides his analysis of the Web Conferencing Market.
    Guest: Mike Gotta, Market Research Analyst, The Burton Group

    [To be precise: Principal Analyst, Burton Group]

    Source: Inside Digital Media: Mike Gotta

    Phones and Interruption Management « KnowledgeForward

    New blog from my Burton Group colleague Craig Roth 

    I am intrigued by some of the interesting approaches being taken to handle interruptions and attention management with phone calls.

    • I spoke today with Alec Saunders, CEO of a company called Iotum that can inject a bit of computer intelligence in the path of incoming calls to a switchboard and route them based on your calendar, preferences, and availability.
    • Tello adds presence and IM to the picture.
    • Orative uses a client on the handset to allow setting of presence as you would on your PC or set the disposition of incoming calls.

    Source: Phones and Interruption Management « KnowledgeForward

    Collaborative Thinking: Enterprise Demand For RSS

    Enterprise RSS reality check from my Burton Group colleague Mike Gotta; see the post for his issue list.

    That said, my role as analyst requires me also critically analyze new technologies (as well as vendors) and ensure that clients consider broader as well as specific implications at the business, application and infrastructure/networking level. This also includes pointing out where security aspects of an enterprise RSS platform need to be examined. My talking points generally fall into the following categories:

    Source: Collaborative Thinking: Enterprise Demand For RSS

    Techcrunch » Blog Archive » Completely Unsubstantiated Google/YouTube Rumor

    Yeah, Google doesn't have enough copyright issues to worry about yet... 

    I got an email tonight about a possible Google acquisition of YouTube that may be in the final stages before closing. Rumored price is $1.6 billion. A quick phone call to a VC confirmed that the rumor is circulating (he also confirmed the price), but that is far from confirmation that this deal is happening. I’m digging for more but the source on this one is very good.

    Source: Techcrunch » Blog Archive » Completely Unsubstantiated Google/YouTube Rumor

    Wired 14.10: Rebuilding Microsoft

    Timely snapshot  

    It's hard to imagine how a guy this self-effacing could survive inside Microsoft's insular, hierarchical, hypercompetitive culture. Redmond is notorious for bringing outsiders into the executive ranks and promptly shredding them. But since joining the company 18 months ago, Ozzie's star has only gotten brighter. He was brought on as one of three chief technical officers, and less than two months into his tenure, he was leading a secret strategy session on how to fight competitors like Google. By November, he was the architect of a new software development strategy for the entire company. And in June of this year, he reached the mountaintop: Gates announced that he was essentially retiring and named Ozzie as the company's technology überboss.

    Source: Wired 14.10: Rebuilding Microsoft

    Adobe Adds Blogging Support To Contribute Web Tool - News by InformationWeek

    Better late than never... 

    Adobe Systems Inc. Thursday shipped Contribute 4, an update to its Web publishing tool that has baked-in blogging support and boasts integration with the Microsoft Office suite on both Windows and Mac OS X.

    Contribute 4 lets users post and publish content to multiple Web sites and blogs, allows them to work offline, and melds with Dreamweaver, the company's site design package, so that administrators can give access rights to Contribute users without worrying about them mucking up the site's look-and-feel.

    Source: Adobe Adds Blogging Support To Contribute Web Tool - News by InformationWeek

    GigaOM » Five Questions with Skype co-founder Janus Friis

     What's next for the Skype gang

    Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis, together could be considered Internet’s biggest trouble makers. As co-founders of Kazaa they brought the wrath of the entire music establishment. With Skype they poked the telephone industry in the eye, before flipping it to eBay for billions. And now they are taking on the television business, with their new start-up, The Venice Project.

    Source: GigaOM » Five Questions with Skype co-founder Janus Friis

    MySpace Founder Seeks Probe of News Corp. Deal

    Sign of the times 

    The founder of MySpace.com parent Intermix Media on Oct. 5 said he is seeking a federal investigation of the sale of Intermix to News Corp. last year, claiming the deal defrauded shareholders by undervaluing the Internet's most popular networking site.

    Source: MySpace Founder Seeks Probe of News Corp. Deal

    Have faith in the Law of Unintended Consequences - Reuters Blogs

    Hmmm 

    Put the power to quickly search billions of lines of code in the public’s hands and you can learn things, including some things maybe you didn’t want to know.

    Read the Reuters story on Google Code Search.

    Source: Have faith in the Law of Unintended Consequences - Reuters Blogs

    Google continues to eye new ad markets - Boston.com

     Reality check: Google is fundamentally an advertising company.

    Google Inc. has accelerated its efforts to sell advertising for magazines and newspapers while continuing to gear up for potentially lucrative opportunities in broadcasting and mobile devices, Chief Executive Officer Eric Schmidt said Thursday.

    Source: Google continues to eye new ad markets - Boston.com

    Thursday, October 05, 2006

    Is Skype the new SmartTag? « Scobleizer - Tech Geek Blogger

    Scoble shares some Skype impressions, but also, unfortunately, perpetuates folklore about smart tag technology in IE6.  Also see Windows Live Smart Menu for some related features.

    Anyway, during dinner we talked about some of the trends and things we were seeing. One thing Amit and I both noticed is Skype’s new “Click to Call” feature in its latest beta.

    What does it do? Well, it turns a phone number like 425-205-1921 into a clickable number (using Skype of course). That’s pretty darn cool, right? But, I wondered what would happen if MSN Messenger started doing that? Who would win? The most recently installed? Or would you see two links for every phone number?

    Source: Is Skype the new SmartTag? « Scobleizer - Tech Geek Blogger

    Ross Mayfield's Weblog: SlideShare: the YouTube of Powerpoint

    Socialtext's CEO explores SlideShare, noting: 

    What's also fascinating is their servers are backed by Amazon S3 (Simple Storage Service).  The other week when Socialtext 2.0 launched with a large-file webcast, we got Techcrunched and were worried about the load on our servers.  After a little scrambling in IRC, Pete Kaminski leveraged S3, and problem solved.  In this case, SlideShare has web serviced their scalability.  An interesting model to watch, and good thing if this thing is a sudden hit.

    I'm guessing the ppt he converted came close to the 20 meg limit :)...

    Source: Ross Mayfield's Weblog: SlideShare: the YouTube of Powerpoint

    Techcrunch » Blog Archive » Introducing SlideShare: Power Point + YouTube

    More on SlideShare; see the post for details 

    SlideShare is a new service launching this morning that lets users upload PowerPoint or Open Office presentationi files and share them online through a You Tube-like interface.

    Source: Techcrunch » Blog Archive » Introducing SlideShare: Power Point + YouTube

    Ed Brill: My Notes/Domino update presentation from Australia/New Zealand now posted on SlideShare

     Timely update from Ed Brill, using new Flash Player-based SlideShare service.

    Just as that note hit my inbox, Steve Castledine wrote about a new service called SlideShare.  This is the perfect approach to posting my presentations, rather than just download the PPT or ODF-based files.  Voila, here it is!

    It'll be very handy when this sort of compound document/hypertext model is supported by Windows Live Writer...

    Source: Ed Brill: My Notes/Domino update presentation from Australia/New Zealand now posted on SlideShare 

    David Chappell :: What's Next? Life After J2EE

    Very timely snapshot from David Chappell; read the full post 

    Leaving Sun in control of the Java platform no longer makes any sense, and I sympathize with the attempts of IBM, BEA, and the other J2EE vendors to regain control over their destiny. Yet the .NET Framework has been gaining on J2EE in enterprises, and Microsoft has defined a clear path ahead for developers and decision makers. If the organizations behind its competition don’t reach consensus quickly on a single platform for Java developers, expect the enterprise popularity of .NET (and of Windows) to increase even faster.

    Source: David Chappell :: What's Next? Life After J2EE

    Google launches search service for computer code - Boston.com

     I'm sure lawyers as well as programmers will find this handy.

    The Web search leader said late on Wednesday it is introducing Google Code Search, a site that simplifies how software developers search for programming code to improve existing software or create new programs.

    Google product manager Tom Stocky said the Mountain View, California-based company is set to help programmers sift through billions of lines of computer source code using its familiar search box to uncover snippets of reusable software.

    [...]

    Google searches through code repositories that are popular among programmers -- CollabNet's Subversion and another alternative called CVS, Stocky said.

    Source: Google launches search service for computer code - Boston.com

    Review: Samsung YP-K5 MP3 Player - This Maker of MP3’s Did Think Different - David Pogue - New York Times

    Interesting 

    Held in your hand, the K5 looks like a black triple-thick iPod Nano (3.8 by 1.8 by 0.7 inches). It turns out, though, that it’s that thick for a reason: what looks like a shiny black slab is actually two slabs, ingeniously connected by a sliding hinge. When you push against the edge, the halves slip apart; the previously concealed bottom half reveals a silver speaker grille. At this moment, the K5’s screen image rotates 90 degrees, so that the display is upright when you set the whole thing down on a desk or table.

    Source: Review: Samsung YP-K5 MP3 Player - This Maker of MP3’s Did Think Different - David Pogue - New York Times

    Apple Says Jobs Knew of Options - New York Times

    Well, that's reassuring... 

    “The major risk in the backdating of options was that somehow Steve Jobs was actively involved,” Mr. Wolf said. “The announcement today eliminated that possibility.”

    Mr. Wolf said it was within reason that Mr. Jobs would not have paid attention to the backdating, particularly given that it was common and legal. “I don’t think he’d know an asset from a liability,” Mr. Wolf said of Mr. Jobs. “That’s not his game.”

    Source: Apple Says Jobs Knew of Options - New York Times

    Wednesday, October 04, 2006

    Burger King Makes Play for Gamers - WSJ.com

    Okay, that's scary...  $3.99 plus the price of a meal. 

    Burger King is taking an unusual step into videogame marketing this fall when its stores start selling Microsoft Xbox 360 videogames that feature the fast-food chain's "King" advertising mascot. The initiative highlights how much the offbeat character has become a part of popular culture through television and Web ads in the past couple of years.

    Source: Burger King Makes Play for Gamers - WSJ.com

    Microsoft to Cripple Computers Running Pirated Copies of Vista - WSJ.com

    Seems reasonable to me...

    Microsoft Corp.'s forthcoming Windows Vista will take much harsher steps to curtail piracy than previous versions of its operating system, including crippling the usefulness of computers found to be running unlicensed copies of the new software.

    The world's largest software maker said Wednesday that people running a version of Windows Vista that it believes is pirated will initially be denied access to some of the most anticipated Vista features. That includes Windows Aero, an improved graphics technology.

    If a legitimate copy is not bought within 30 days, the system will curtail functionality much further by restricting users to just the Web browser for an hour at a time, said Thomas Lindeman, Microsoft senior product manager.

    Source: Microsoft to Cripple Computers Running Pirated Copies of Vista - WSJ.com

    Pattern Finder: EMC's Getting Out of the Way of the SharePoint Train

    My Burton Group colleague Guy Creese's take on the EMC/Microsoft news; read the full post for his analysis. 

    EMC Documentum and Microsoft today announced an alliance that integrates SharePoint 2007 with EMC's Documentum products. Some of the high points are:

    • Users will be able to use the Office 2007 and SharePoint 2007 user interfaces as ways to put content into the Documentum repository. All of a sudden, users -- especially casual users -- won't have to go to Documentum training to use the Documentum system.
    • EMC Documentum will be creating a set of Web Parts to integrate search, workflow, and content between Documentum and SharePoint.
    • There are two deployment options. Companies can use the Office/SharePoint UI to put documents into Documentum only, or can put documents into both SharePoint and Documentum.

    So what does all this mean?

    Source: Pattern Finder: EMC's Getting Out of the Way of the SharePoint Train

    Tuesday, October 03, 2006

    EMC and Microsoft Form New Enterprise Content Management Alliance, Extend Microsoft Office SharePoint Server With Content, Compliance and Archive Solutions

     Major Microsoft SharePoint milestone

    EMC Corporation and Microsoft Corp. today announced a new enterprise content management (ECM) alliance aimed at helping to enable organizations to become People-Ready with their compliance, regulatory and other critical business data. This alliance enables information workers to take advantage of the Microsoft® tools and applications they use every day to access and contribute to the critical business processes available in their ECM infrastructure. As part of this strategic alliance, EMC will introduce a set of new content and archiving products that enable tighter integration between the industry-leading EMC Documentum ECM platform and Microsoft solutions and platform technologies. This announcement builds on the existing EMC and Microsoft alliance.

    Source: EMC and Microsoft Form New Enterprise Content Management Alliance, Extend Microsoft Office SharePoint Server With Content, Compliance and Archive Solutions